Arpaio Supporters Exhibit Dangerous Rhetoric

Jill Garvey • Jul 10, 2009

This most recent video from Humanleague shows us once again the people who are supporting Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. It’s a chilling look into an environment occupied by violent racists and the immigrants they target. This is exactly why Shawna Forde felt justified in breaking into a Latino family’s home and murdering a little girl and her father.

While some of the individuals featured on this video may be unstable or exhibit strange behavior, they are not crazy. These are functioning adults who are perfectly capable of behaving in a reasonable manner. They choose not to. They choose hate over tolerance. They choose to advocate violence over rational dialogue. Violence against immigrants occurs because bigots in positions of power (Sheriff Joe) set the stage and provide an atmosphere that make it acceptable.